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Johannesburg - Brakpan residents expressed outrage over
the rape and murder of a 4-year-old girl during the court appearance of the
alleged perpetrator on Tuesday.

The girl's 23-year-old uncle was arrested in connection
with the crime last month, shortly after she was reported missing on Saturday, 28
December.

On Tuesday, scores of people, among them children, were
at the Brakpan Magistrate's Court on the East Rand at the man's court
appearance.

Most of them were dressed in pink T-shirts. The slain
girl had been wearing a pink shirt on the day she was killed.

The supporters gathered at a corner outside the court
before proceedings began.

"It could have been my child," said Tim
Williams, who came to the court with his daughter. A woman, also dressed in a
pink T-shirt, said people were looking for answers.

"We want to know why he did it," she said.

An emotional Tazz-Lynn Ramsay, 16, said: "[She] was
just a child. She did not even know what rape was."

A young girl at the court with her parents wore a pink
T-shirt bearing the letters "RIP" (rest in peace).

Wynard Kruger, 11, carried a board reading, in Afrikaans:
"Bring back the death penalty. We seek justice for the kids, bring him
out."

At court

Two women dressed in ANC Women's League uniform were
outside the court after the proceedings. The girl's parents, however, were not
in court.

Scores of police officers lined the street leading to the
court gates, while others were on horseback. No phones, cameras or tablet
computers were allowed inside the court.

Before proceedings began, court orderlies evicted from
the room several men dressed in shorts.

"No shorts allowed in court," said the court
orderlies.

The courtroom was packed to capacity. Wearing a striped
black and grey T-shirt and grey tracksuit pants, the accused walked into court
with his head bowed. He looked at his hands throughout the proceedings. He may
not be identified until he has pleaded.

The blond-haired accused mumbled to Magistrate Khatija
Abba that he wanted to apply for a State lawyer. His case was postponed to 13 January
to give him time to do so.

Abba reprimanded the court gallery when there was
muttering after she said he had the right to apply for bail once he had secured
a lawyer. He said he understood.

He walked out of the courtroom with his head down,
avoiding eye contact with anyone in the gallery.

‘Watertight case’

Outside court, the National Prosecuting Authority said it
believed it had a strong case.

"It's a watertight case and we are certain that we
will make a conviction," said spokesperson Mxolisi Nxasana.

Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities
Lulu Xingwana called for the maximum sentence for the accused if he was found
guilty.

Speaking on Xingwana's behalf, spokesperson Motalatale
Modiba said the perpetrator should get life imprisonment.

His comments were met with cheers from members of the
public, and several bikers who were at the court revved their motorbikes.

Modiba said Xingwana was concerned that several acts of
violence against women and children had been reported just days into the new
year.

"There is something fundamentally wrong with our
foundation as a society when women and children are made to live in terror even
in their own homes," Xingwana said.

"Domestic violence is a social evil that must be
uprooted from our communities."

The Brakpan girl would be buried on Wednesday. Residents and
bikers were organising a march to be held in her memory.

The man was arrested shortly after she was reported
missing.

"A missing person's report was issued on Saturday
morning and the police and the community started looking [for the girl]. We had
to do our own investigation," police spokesperson Tsekiso Mofokeng said at
the time.

Police then interviewed the family.

"We identified that one of the family members did
not give a confident story... he gave many versions."

Mofokeng said the man was charged with kidnapping. Later
"he gave in and confessed" and helped police find the girl's body
underneath a bed in her father's flat, on Voortrekker Street.

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